Rev 18:1-10 | EE | STEP | After these things happened, I saw another angel. He was coming down from heaven. He had great authority. He was beautiful and he shone brightly. He gave light to the whole world.

Revelation of John 18:1-10

The end of Babylon

1 After these things happened, I saw another angel. He was coming down from heaven. He had great authority. He was beautiful and he shone brightly. He gave light to the whole world. 2 He shouted with a very loud voice:

‘God has destroyed Babylon!
It is no longer a great city!
She has become a place where demons live.
She is a home for every dirty spirit.
She is a home for every dirty bird.
She is a home for every dirty animal which people hate.
3 She has been like a prostitute who makes men become drunk.
Then she leads them to have sex in a wrong way.
Like this, she has caused people from every country to turn away from God.
It is like the kings who rule on the earth have had sex with that bad woman.
She has bought many expensive things from the people on earth who buy and sell things.
As a result, she has caused them to become rich.’

4 Then I heard another voice which spoke from heaven. It said:

‘My people, leave the city! Come out!
Do not do the bad things that the people of that city have done.
Then you will not receive any of the troubles that God sends to them.
5 They have done very many bad things.
Their sins have reached as high as heaven.
God knows about all the wrong things that they have done.’

6 ‘Yes, punish the people of that city.
Do to them the same things that they have done to others.
Punish them with twice the bad things that they themselves have done.
She caused people to drink many troubles from her cup.
Now make her drink twice as many troubles for herself!
7 She made herself to be great.
She made herself to be happy with many expensive things.
So now give her trouble and pain instead of her happiness.
She said to herself, “I rule people like a queen.
I do not live like a widow who is sad.
I will never have trouble. I will never be sad.”
8 Because she spoke like that, she will receive many troubles in one single day.
Her people will become ill.
They will be sad.
They will have no food.
Fire will destroy the city,
The Lord God is powerful.
So he will punish her with these troubles.’

9 When all that happens, the kings on the earth will be very sad. They enjoyed the bad things that people did in that city. They had many expensive things so that they were happy. Now they will see the smoke from the fire that burns the city. As a result, they will cry and they will weep. 10 They will stand a long way from the city because they are afraid. They do not want to receive the same troubles themselves. They will say,

‘Bad trouble has come to you, Babylon!
Great city! Powerful city! It is very bad for you!
In one single hour God has destroyed you!’