Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 18
The kings in verse 10 and the traders in verse 16 seemed only aware of themselves and their own loss. Their sad words about Babylon seem completely selfish.
However, the seamen in verse 20 seem to have a different attitude. As seamen, they are very aware of forces greater than themselves. A king or a trader may imagine that he controls everything; but no seaman who has seen a storm at sea could ever think that.
So, the seamen’s attention quickly turns to the question of who has defeated Babylon. Revelation 17:16 tells us that evil rulers destroyed that great city. However, the seamen recognise the real reason for the defeat. Babylon was God’s enemy. It was God who issued his judgement against it (14:8). That was why Babylon’s defeat was so sudden and so terrible. Nothing could ever stand, not even for a moment, against the power of God’s judgement against it.
The seamen are very sad, but they bitterly tell heaven’s inhabitants to be happy. The seamen consider heaven as a cruel enemy that laughs at someone else’s defeat. In the past, God’s people suffered much from Babylon’s cruelty (18:24). Now, Babylon’s pain gives God’s people an opportunity to be happy, the seamen say.
There is great joy in heaven at this time. However, God’s people are not laughing at Babylon’s pain. You can read what they are saying in Revelation 19:1-8. They praise God, because all his judgements are right and proper. They thank him, because he has saved them from their cruel enemies. They have prepared themselves for the wonderful things that God will now do in their lives. Soon, Christ’s perfect government on earth will, at last, begin.
Next part: When will God’s judgement against Babylon happen? (Revelation 18:21)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.