And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.He cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hated bird!And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.
5 sermons cite this verse
… the day the Dow Jones hit zero. If you have your Bible, turn to Revelation chapter 18. Revelation chapter 18, verses 1 to 3, an announcement of judgment against Babylon. Look at it with me. After these things I, that is John, saw another angel, like the one who had announced the earlier destruction. I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority. And the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice saying, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. What does John mean? What does the angel mean by Babylon? Remember in 17, it referred to a religious system. But in chapter 18, it refers to both a system and a city that was the capital of that system. I've used this analogy before, but just think of Wall Street. When we think about, oh, Wall Street had a bad day today, bad day on Wall Street. Are we talking about that little area in Southern Manhattan, Wall Street, a geographical location, or are we talking about the system? We're talking about the system. We're talking about the economic measure of our entire health, Wall Street, the stock averages. It's the same way here. …
… of a prostitute. Talking about the fall of the Antichrist, verse 2 says this, chapter 18, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird. I told you, man, birds aren't real, okay, right? They're tools of the Antichrist. A haunt for every unclean cat. Okay, that's not in there. I added that, but it felt right. Number three, verse three, 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. Notice the imagery of prostitution applies to both sides of Babylon, both the religious side and the political economic side. In fact, chapter 18 says that Babylon is the mother of prostitutes. So here is my question for you this weekend. Why? Why would the primary metaphor that God chooses for the Antichrist and the false prophet and the world order they create, why would the primary metaphor be prostitution? …
1. That Sodom is a city full of filthiness and abominations. It is full of those impurities that ought to be had in the utmost abhorrence and detestation by all. The inhabitants of it are a polluted company, they are all under the power and dominion of hateful lusts. All their faculties and affections are polluted with those vile dispositions that are unworthy of the human nature, that greatly debase it, that are exceedingly hateful to God, and that dreadfully incense his anger. Every kind of spiritual abomination abounds in it. There is nothing so hateful and abominable but that there it is to be found, and there it abounds. Sodom is a city full of devils and all unclean spirits: there they have their rendezvous, and there they have their dominion. There they sport, and wallow in filthiness, as it is said of mystical Babylon, Rev. xviii. 2. Babylon is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird.—Who would be of such a society? who would not flee from such a city with the utmost haste, and never look back upon it, and never have the least inclination of returning? …
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you an her. In this chapter we have a very particular account of the fall of Babylon, or the antiChristian church, and of the vengeance of God executed upon her. Here it is proclaimed that Babylon the great is fallen, and become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird; that her sins had reached unto heaven, and that God had remembered her iniquity; that God gave commandment to reward her, as she had rewarded others, to double unto her double according to her works; in the cup she had filled, to fill to her double, and how much she had glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow to give her. And it is declared, that these plagues are come upon her in one day, death, mourning, and famine; and that she should be utterly burnt with fire; because strong is the Lord who judgeth her. …
2. They are the devil’s captives and servants. Man before his fall was in a state of liberty; but now he has fallen into Satan’s hands. The devil has got the victory, and carried him captive. Natural men are in Satan’s possession, and they are under his dominion. They are brought by him into subjection to his will, to go at his bidding, and do what he commands. 2 Timothy ii. 26. “Taken captive by him at his will.” The devil rules over ungodly men. They are all his slaves, and do his drudging. This argues their state to be dreadful. Men account it an unhappy state of life to be slaves; and especially to be slaves to a bad master, to one who is very hard, unreasonable, and cruel. How miserable do we look upon those persons, who are taken captive by the Turks, or other such barbarous nations, and put by them to the meanest and most cruel slavery, and treated no better than they treat their cattle! But what is this to being taken captive by the devil, the prince of hell, and made a slave to him? Had not a man better be a slave to any one on earth than to the devil? The devil is, of all masters, the most cruel, and treats his servants the worst. He puts them to the vilest service, to that which is the most dishonourable of any in the world. No work is so dishonourable as the practice of sin. The devil puts his servants to such work as debases them below the dignity of human nature. They must make themselves like beasts to do that work to serve their filthy lusts. And besides the meanness of the work, it is a very hard service. The devil causes them to serve him at the expense of the peace of their own conscience, and oftentimes at the expense of their reputation, at the expense of their estates, and shortening of their days. The devil is a cruel master; for the service upon which he puts his slaves, is to undo themselves. He keeps them hard at work day and night, to work their own ruin. He never intends to give them any reward for their pains, but their pains are to work out their own everlasting destruction. It is to gather fuel and kindle the fire for themselves to be tormented in to all eternity. …