Revelation 18:23
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
The verse foretells the complete silencing of fallen Babylon, when all light and joy and marriage gladness cease in her because her great merchants enriched themselves and her deceptions misled all nations. It belongs to the final condition reached when the threefold warning of Revelation 14 is fully rejected, and to the work of the other angel of Revelation 18 who repeats those messages with the call to come out of Babylon. The chapter lays open the last events of earth's history and the judgments about to fall on proud wealth, great cities, and oppressors, and its prophecies are soon to be fulfilled as the earth is lighted with the glory of that angel. It is the last call of mercy and the last testing truth for this time, which must be proclaimed boldly and powerfully without toning it down, and God in mercy holds back His judgments until this warning has been given to all. As the message announcing Babylon's fall accomplishes its work, those who reject truth are left to believe a lie while God's people still in Babylon heed the call to separate from her, and with it the Sabbath of the Lord is to be proclaimed as the seal of the living God.
Place in Final Prophecy
The verse belongs to the prophecy of Babylon's final condition, reached when the threefold warning of Revelation 14 is fully rejected by the church. That rejection marks the time when those who refuse truth are left to believe a lie, while truth shines upon all whose hearts are open to receive it. The announcement of Babylon's fall is then the last warning message to the world, and it accomplishes its work as God's people still in Babylon heed the call to separate from her communion. It stands as part of the message of the other angel of Revelation 18, which repeats the first, second, and third angels' messages with the call to come out of Babylon, and every verse of the chapter is to be read carefully, especially the last two verses together.
The prophecies of Revelation 18 are soon to be fulfilled. During the proclamation of the third angel's message another angel will descend with great power, and the earth will be lighted with his glory as the knowledge of God and of salvation spreads everywhere. The verse belongs to the very last call to the churches recorded in Revelation 18, the last message of warning that all are to hear and that is now to be given, because the prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 are being fulfilled.
The chapter brings into view the next great event after the final warning message to the world. It is a prophetic chapter describing events about to take place. It shows the last events of this earth's history, given by God as a solemn warning for the last days. Made known by Christ Himself to John on the Isle of Patmos, it is to be read and understood so that minds are not kept confused by Satan's deceptions, for the perils of the last days are upon us.
Sin and Coming Judgment
The verse declares the total silencing of fallen Babylon, that no lamplight will ever shine in her again and no voice of bridegroom and bride will ever be heard in her again, because her merchants were the great ones of the earth and by her sorceries all the nations were deceived. Her worldly greatness and her deceptive influence are brought to an end, and the riches of her merchants are brought to nothing. That judgment described in Revelation 18:18-24 applies to the great cities, which will be consumed by God's wrath, yet the buildings themselves are not defiled by human sins, for the people who commit those sins bear the responsibility.
The verse warns 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 judgment on mystic Babylon follows the work of false shepherds who turn people away from God's law to human theories and thereby bring growing wickedness upon the world, and their own work will then react upon themselves. God's announced judgments will fall upon the proud and upon those who persist in sin despite great light, their costly works and accumulated wealth will be destroyed, and He will avenge the widows and orphans who have suffered oppression and abuse. The chapter describes judgments that will bring down the proud wealth and impressive structures of the wicked and that will be fulfilled in the destruction of the world, and the warning should cause readers to fear and to turn from sin and from rejecting the light.
The chapter foretells the day of God's wrath and the events that will occur when it comes, revealing the wickedness existing in the world today and the importance of obeying God's law, and the terrible destruction that fell upon San Francisco on April 18, 1906 is like the awful events it describes. Its scenes portray things yet to take place in the cities and must be read verse by verse, displaying God's power in the destruction of a sinful city because of its sins. Believers in the prophecies must not ignore such destruction nor show indifference to it nor make light of it, and wrongdoers who have abused privilege and taken advantage of others must make amends and hear God's voice. They must not flatter themselves that they will build greater buildings and commercial enterprises in the future or defiantly invest as before, for God will exercise His power to counteract such efforts.
The whole chapter is a warning about what is coming upon the earth that will be fulfilled when the Lord arises to shake terribly the earth. Then great city buildings built story after story will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God's power, and one word from the Lord and one touch of His mighty power will cause massive structures to fall in a destruction whose fearfulness cannot be imagined.
Last Call to Proclaim
The warnings of Revelation belong to the people and are not to be counted as an inferior matter. The truth is to be presented boldly and powerfully, without toning it down or muffling the message for that time, and the third angel's message is to be strengthened and confirmed. This verse is part of the testing truths for this time and part of the last call of mercy to the world. Its warning must be sounded to all and given more fully, and its truths should be read and understood by all. In mercy God holds back His judgments until this warning is given, because many have not yet heard these truths.
The truths of Revelation 18 and 19 are to be read and understood as the last call of mercy is given and God's judgments approach. In that setting the verse points to impending judgments on wicked cities and to the need to warn their inhabitants before it is too late. It belongs to the last great testing truth for this time, the present truth that must be proclaimed with a loud voice and with all power and efficiency by the human agencies God has chosen. The whole chapter is to be read and given without diversion into lines that would hinder it, so the world is not left in darkness.
This proclamation is the last work to be done for the world and prepares a people to stand in the great day of God which is fast coming with stealthy, awful dread. With that warning the truth in regard to the Sabbath of the Lord is to be proclaimed, showing the seventh day to be the seal of the living God. It is the message Satan would have silenced. It also warns 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 deception of Babylon marks a time when those who reject truth are left to believe a lie, while truth shines for those whose hearts are open to receive it. The message announcing Babylon's fall is the last message to the world and accomplishes its work. God's people still in Babylon heed the call to separate from her communion so as not to share her sins and plagues. Together with that call to come out so as not to partake of her sins or receive her plagues, the verse displays God's power in the destruction of a sinful city because of its sins.