Revelation 18:1-24
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen... Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins... For in one hour is thy judgment come... And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her.”
King James Version
The fall of Babylon the great — the call to God's people to come out of her, and the lament of kings, merchants, and sailors over the city's sudden ruin.
Fulfillment References
Jeremiah 51:6-9 Isaiah 13:19-22 Revelation 17:1-18 2 Corinthians 6:17
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal'Come out of her, my people' — the one Lord calls His own to holiness, out of the doomed world-system (2 Cor. 6:17).
JewishThe dirge over Babylon reworks the prophets' oracles against Babylon and Tyre (Isa. 13; Jer. 50-51; Ezek. 27).
CatholicThe fall of the worldly anti-city; the call to holiness — 'come out of her, my people.'
ProtestantThe certain collapse of the seductive world-system and the summons to separation from it.
OrthodoxThe downfall of the God-opposing world-order; the faithful called out.
DispensationalThe destruction of a future commercial and religious Babylon in the Tribulation.
AcademicThe lament closely follows Ezekiel 27 (the dirge over Tyre) and Jeremiah 50-51; the merchant-cargo list reflects Roman trade.
Scholarship & Sources
Chapter 18's dirge is modeled on Ezekiel 27 (the lament over Tyre) and Jeremiah 50-51; the cargo list (18:12-13) mirrors Roman commerce, and 'in one hour' stresses sudden ruin. Pairs with chapter 17.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.