Flood, fire, famine and pestilence: Four Horsemen ride

Flood, fire, famine and pestilence: Four Horsemen ride

Revelation 18:8, KJV: "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."

What does Revelation 18:8 mean?.

According to this verse, Babylon—a corrupt and ungodly culture or political entity—will end abruptly. Her destruction will be sudden, not gradual. It will be decisive and terrifying.

In the end times, the demise of this symbolic Babylon will be as surprising and sudden as the death of King Belshazzar. He profaned the temple's sacred vessels, was opulent, immoral, and egotistical. However, while he and a thousand of his lords were partying, a hand appeared on the plaster of the palace wall. The terrifying sight caused him great alarm, and he sought someone to interpret the writing. After his wise men failed to interpret the writing, Daniel was fetched to do so. He announced that the writing spelled the end of Belshazzar's kingdom. That same night the party was over; Belshazzar was killed (Daniel 5).

In a moment, "the party" will end for Babylon as well. Her plagues will come in a single day. Death, mourning, and famine will strike her, and she will be consumed with fire. The Lord will show in His judgment that He is mighty and she is merely finite.

Revelation 18:1–8 contains a glorious angel's pronouncement of doom on Babylon. This Babylon here appears to be a literal physical city, whereas the Babylon described in chapter 17 is a corrupt religious system. The Babylon of chapter 17 was associated with a political system but was not the political power. The Babylon of chapter 18 is the center of a demonic political, commercial, and economic system. The fall of Babylon parallels what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1–29). Religious Babylon falls in the middle of the tribulation to the delight of kings. Commercial Babylon falls at the end of the tribulation, and kings lament her fall.

A glorious angel announces the fall of Babylon, here used to name a dwelling place for demons and the source of corrupt commercialism. Another angel summons believers to get out of Babylon and avoid being caught up in the judgment for her sins. God is ready to punish Babylon for extensive wickedness. He promises to burn the city with fire. The kings of the earth mourn Babylon's demise, and they keep a safe distance from her as she burns. Merchants, too, weep because no one can purchase cargo from her and profit from selling her goods. Like the kings, the merchants try to put distance between themselves and Babylon for fear of sharing her destructive fate. Their mourning is intense. They throw dust on their heads, weep, mourn, and lament how quickly she fell from prominence and prosperity to a wasteful state. A mighty angel announces Babylon's doom and desolation. The city that once included renowned merchants, deceived the nations, and martyred believers, is now shattered into silence and desolation.