Revelation 18:19
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
The verse shows those enriched by the costly trade of the great city, including all with ships at sea, throwing dust on their heads and crying with weeping and wailing as her wealth comes to nothing and she is left desolate in a single hour. That sudden ruin means the costliest buildings thought to be fireproof falling to ashes like Sodom by God's overturning power, with proud treasures gained by fraud buried and costly vessels with their human freight sinking, destroyed by the fire of His wrath. Babylon so judged is the church made fallen by exalting the false Sabbath above God's Sabbath, teaching the immortality of the soul and rejecting truth, in corrupt union of kings, merchants, rulers and religious teachers to compel worship of the beast's image and persecute commandment keepers. The chapter is the very last call of mercy and testing truth for this time, to be proclaimed boldly with no toning down while another angel descends and the earth is lighted with his glory, God holding back judgment until the warning is given. Its call is for God's people still in Babylon to come out from her sins and plagues and be prepared to stand, a judgment already foreshadowed by the destruction seen at San Francisco on April 18, 1906 as a special indication of what will soon fall upon the cities.
Babylon's Sudden Desolation
This lament belongs to the prophecy of Babylon's final fall, coming after the threefold warning has been rejected and Babylon has reached the condition foretold by the second angel. It is the time when those enriched by her mourn her destruction, and when God's people still in Babylon are called to separate from her.
Babylon is a church turned into Babylon by exalting the false spurious Sabbath above the Sabbath blessed and sanctified for man's use, by teaching the immortality of the soul, and by rejection of the truth. She stands in corrupt harmony with kings, merchants, rulers, and religious teachers united with her, and merchants are part of that union.
Her desolation is the final result of apostasy in which church and state unite to compel worship of the image of the beast and observance of the spurious Sabbath. That union persecutes those who keep God's commandments and have the faith of Jesus, and its cruelty and violence against His people bring God's judgment and vengeance. It is also the scene of God's judgment on mystic Babylon when the consequences of false shepherds' false teaching and opposition to God's law fall upon them.
The verse portrays those made rich by the great city's costly trade, including all that had ships in the sea, mourning with dust on their heads, weeping and wailing as she is suddenly made desolate. Her riches come to nothing in one hour, and her announced ruin is part of the fulfillment of Revelation 18 and 19.
The great city made desolate in one hour means the most costly buildings, supposed to be fireproof, becoming ashes as Sodom perished in the flames of God's vengeance. Great buildings will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God's power, when the Lord shall arise to shake terribly the earth, and one word from the Lord, one touch of His mighty power, will cause massive structures to fall in terrible scenes whose fearfulness cannot be imagined. Costly vessels with their treasures of gold and silver and their human freight will sink into a watery grave while wrestling the mighty waters. It is destruction of great cities by the fire of God's wrath, bringing down proud and costly structures and sinking ships loaded with wealth and people.
The ship merchants made rich by her costliness represent man's pride buried with treasures accumulated by fraud, and riches gained through fraud will not protect their owners. God keeps a record of every action for good or evil, and He avenges the widows and orphans who in hunger and nakedness cried to Him for help from oppression and abuse.
The weeping and wailing means sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal, when the flattering monuments of men's greatness are crumbled in the dust. That sorrow comes even before the last great destruction comes upon the world. It falls as God's storehouse of retributive judgments upon those who have continued in sin in the face of great light, a fulfillment right upon the world enough to cause all who read it to fear and tremble.
The lament over a great rich trading city suddenly made desolate portrays things yet to take place in the cities as a wonderful display of the power of God because of sin. The terrible judgment that fell upon San Francisco on April 18, 1906 was a similar representation of those coming events, revealing the wickedness existing in the world and the importance of obeying God's law. The destruction witnessed in a recently destroyed city is a special indication and rebuke of God concerning this coming desolation, not to be ignored, treated with indifference, or made light of.
The chapter warns of coming judgment on the earth and the certain collapse of great cities under God's power, and cities are to be informed of that coming judgment. Yet it does not identify New York as a particular target nor specify that it will be destroyed or swept away by a tidal wave.
Final Warning Proclaimed
Revelation 18:19 belongs to the testing truths for this time, the very last call of mercy and message of warning to the churches, the last work to be done for the world, now to be given more fully to all. It stands in fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 and of Revelation 18 and 19, describing events about to take place and soon to be fulfilled as part of the last events of this earth's history made known by Christ to John on Patmos. God's mercy is shown by His long forbearance in holding back His judgments while waiting for that warning to be given, because many have not yet heard.
The chapter explains the corrupted principles of the churches and why the messages of Revelation 14 are given, and it strengthens and confirms the third angel's message. That third angel's message is present truth, the last great testing truth, and a life-and-death question and great test to be brought upon God's people in the last days. Proclaiming this verse includes proclaiming the truth about the Sabbath of the Lord, showing that the seventh day is the seal of the living God, and showing what may be expected from the papal power that has made void the law of God at the time when the Protestant churches are reaching out to grasp its hand.
The truth for this time in the chapter must be presented in no measured terms but with boldness and power, with no toning down, no muffling, and no diversion into hindering lines or side issues from Satan's mingling of deceptions with truth. During the proclamation of the third angel's message another angel descends with great power, the message is proclaimed with a loud voice with all power and efficiency by God's chosen agencies, the earth is lighted with his glory, and the knowledge of salvation spreads everywhere so the world is not left in darkness. All should read and understand the truths of Revelation 18 and 19, and cities are to be informed of the coming judgment warned of in the chapter.
The chapter's call is for God's people still in Babylon to separate from her and come out of her so as not to share her sins or receive her plagues, to hear the voice of the Lord. It calls them to sanctify through the truth and be prepared to stand in the great day of God, to turn from sin and their own way before judgment falls, and to fear and tremble at a fulfillment right upon the world rather than refuse the light lest deeds be reproved. The call rebukes defiantly investing means in greater city buildings that God will counteract and calls men who have abused privilege and taken advantage of fellow men to make amends for the wrong done. Its perils are now upon the world in a conflict between two parties in which Satan with multitudes of evil fallen angels works in all deceivableness of unrighteousness to deceive if possible the very elect, gains a great victory if he can keep minds confused now, and would have the message silenced, so workers must not let other lines of work disqualify them from preaching it.