The document provides an overview and analysis of Revelation 17-18. It discusses how Revelation 17 portrays Babylon the Great as a woman riding the beast who symbolizes the evil world system that opposes God. Revelation 18 then describes the reality, reason, and response to Babylon's fall. The great city represents pride, self-indulgence, and reliance on wealth instead of God. Christians are called to separate themselves from Babylon's influence and rejoice in God's judgment against evil.

3. Revelation 17 . . .
“a literary triumph of
imaginative power”
“one of the most complex
passages of the entire book”

4. Rev. 17
Rev. 18

5. “Apocalyptic literature is a
special kind of writing that
arose among Jews and
Christians to reveal certain
mysteries about heaven
and earth, humanity and
God, angels and demons,
the life of the world today,
and the world to come.”

6. Apocalyptic literature
“reveals” these mysteries
through the use of striking
visions and highly
symbolic language.

7. Our Guiding Principle
Don’t miss the forest for
the trees! Let’s not get
lost in the details and
therefore miss the
message Jesus has for us!

8. Chp. 1 Chp. 2-3 Chps. 4-22
“Things
which “Things
“Things which will take place”
you have which
seen” are”
Vision of Christ Vision of Consummation
Theophany Talks Tribulations Triumph Together!

9. Babylon the Great portrayed as a
woman, the Great Prostitute who rides
upon the beast (the AntiChrist)
Who or what does this Great
Prostitute symbolize?

10. Babylon derived from word “babel”
(Tower of Babel – Genesis 11)
Genesis 11:4
Let us build a name for ourselves.

11. Babylon the Great symbolizes . . .
Babylon in the Bible becomes more than
just a geographical city … it becomes
symbolic of this evil world system and its
design to write the true God out of the
equation of life. It is a mindset that says,
“I will be my own god! I need no other!”

12. Babylon the Great portrayed as
the Great Prostitute
Babylon the Great portrayed as a
great commercial center … a city of
great wealth and influence!

13. Outline of Revelation 18
The reality of Babylon’s fall
(vv. 1-3; 21-23a)
The reason for Babylon’s fall
(vv. 4-8; 23b-24)
The response to Babylon’s fall
(vv. 9-20)

14. The REALITY of Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:1-2a
After this I saw another angel coming
down from heaven, having great authority,
and the earth was made bright with his
glory. And he called out with a mighty
voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

15. The REALITY of Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:2b-3
She has become a dwelling place for demons, a
haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every
unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and
detestable beast. For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual
immorality, and the kings of the earth have
committed immorality with her, and the
merchants of the earth have grown rich from
the power of her luxurious living.”

16. The REALITY of Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a
great millstone and threw it into the sea,
saying, “So will Babylon the great city be
thrown down with violence, and will be
found no more.”

17. The REALITY of Babylon’s fall
Jeremiah 51:63-64
When you finish reading this book, tie a
stone to it and cast it into the midst of the
Euphrates, and say, “Thus shall Babylon
sink, to rise no more, because of the
disaster that I am bringing upon her, and
they shall become exhausted.”

18. The REALITY of Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:22-23
And the sound of harpists and musicians, of
flute players and trumpeters, will be heard
in you no more, and a craftsman of any
craft will be found in you no more, and the
sound of the mill will be heard in you no
more, and the light of a lamp will shine in
you no more, and the voice of bridegroom
and bride will be heard in you no more.

19. Outline of Revelation 18
The reality of Babylon’s fall
(vv. 1-3; 21-23a)
The reason for Babylon’s fall
(vv. 4-8; 23b-24)

20. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:4-5
Then I heard another voice from heaven
saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest
you take part in her sins, lest you share in
her plagues; for her sins are heaped high
as heaven, and God has remembered her
iniquities.

21. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:6-7
Pay her back as she herself has paid back
others, and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her in the cup she
mixed. As she glorified herself and lived in
luxury, so give her a like measure of
torment and mourning, since in her heart
she says, ‘I sit as queen, I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’

22. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:8
For this reason her plagues will come in a
single day, death and mourning and
famine, and she will be burned up with
fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has
judged her.”

23. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:7
As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and
mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit
as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning
I shall never see.’
Self-indulgence

24. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:23b-24
For your merchants were the great ones
of the earth, and all nations were
deceived by your sorcery. And in her was
found the blood of prophets and of
saints, and of all who have been slain on
earth.

25. Who is in control of Babylon
the Great? Who controls
this evil world system?
1 John 5:19
We know that we are from God,
and the whole world lies in the
power of the evil one.

26. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:23b-24
For your merchants were the great ones
of the earth, and all nations were
deceived by your sorcery. And in her was
found the blood of prophets and of
saints, and of all who have been slain on
earth.

27. The REASON for Babylon’s fall
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your
will is to do your father's desires. He was
a murderer from the beginning, and
does not stand in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he
speaks out of his own character, for he is
a liar and the father of lies.

28. Outline of Revelation 18
The reality of Babylon’s fall
(vv. 1-3; 21-23a)
The reason for Babylon’s fall
(vv. 4-8; 23b-24)
The response to Babylon’s fall
(vv. 9-20)

29. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:9-10
And the kings of the earth, who
committed sexual immorality and lived in
luxury with her, will weep and wail over
her when they see the smoke of her
burning. They will stand far off, in fear of
her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great
city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a
single hour your judgment has come.”

30. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:9-10
And the kings of the earth, who
committed sexual immorality and lived in
luxury with her, will weep and wail over
her when they see the smoke of her
burning. They will stand far off, in fear of
her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great
city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a
single hour your judgment has come.”

31. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:11-12
And the merchants of the earth weep
and mourn for her, since no one buys
their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver,
jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth,
silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented
wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all
kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze,
iron and marble,

32. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:13-14
cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh,
frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat,
cattle and sheep, horses and chariots,
and slaves, that is, human souls. “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!”

33. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:15-16
The merchants of these wares, who gained
wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of
her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
“Alas, alas, for the great city that was
clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold, with jewels, and with
pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth
has been laid waste.”

34. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:17b-18
And all shipmasters and seafaring men,
sailors and all whose trade is on the sea,
stood far off and cried out as they saw
the smoke of her burning, “What city
was like the great city?”

35. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:19
And they threw dust on their heads as
they wept and mourned, crying out,
“Alas, alas, for the great city where all
who had ships at sea grew rich by her
wealth! For in a single hour she has
been laid waste.”

36. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Revelation 18:20
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you
saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you
against her!

37. The RESPONSE to Babylon’s fall
Deuteronomy 32:43
Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down
to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood
of his children and takes vengeance on
his adversaries. He repays those who
hate him and cleanses his people's land.

38. How should WE respond to Babylon
and its impending fall?
Revelation 18:4
Then I heard another voice from heaven
saying, “Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins, lest you
share in her plagues.

39. We must avoid the
snare of the mindset of
this world . . .
Pride
Self-indulgence
Self-sufficiency

40. “This is a call to live ‘in’ but not ‘of.’ In
the city, for where else can we go? But
not of the city. It’s no easy task. That is
why we need each other. That is why we
need Christian community. That is why
Jesus gives us Revelation! The imagery
sharpens the issues. The wild imagery
sharpens the choices. He gives us the
book to reveal (among other things)
what we do not otherwise know:

41. that the ‘great city,’ whatever its name, is
not as ultimate as it thinks. It is falling.
And right in the middle of it is the Lamb
who is Lord of lords and King of kings,
who is able to lead us in the ways of the
‘greater city to come.’ Jesus gave us
Revelation to free his church from its
‘Babylonian captivity’ – to free us for the
new city which will never fall.”
(Darrell Johnson)

42. Check out
the hair!!!

43. We need to WAKE UP and GET OUT of
bed with Babylon! GET OUT of the
cesspool known as Babylon the Great!
Am I living IN the world?
OR
Am I living IN the world but not OF the
world?