The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

In order to understand this feature of the vision let us keep clearly in mind that the
symbolism is that of a great commercial city, and the merchants are those who have
engaged in commercial intercourse with this city. The enumeration of the articles of
merchandise in the verses that follow seems to have been given for the purpose of filling
up the symbolism, as also the statement regarding the cessation of this traffic; thus setting
forth the utter desolation that comes to great Babylon. The merchants, as we have already
explained, symbolize the nobles and dignitaries of this system, who have held her
patronage and benefices. These, and others who have grown rich or have obtained a
livelihood in serving the peoples by holding the cup containing her idolatrous rites,
ceremonies, etc., will witness the overthrow of this great religious hierarchy without being
able to interfere or intercept it. These also are to lament over her.
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged
you on her."--Ver. 20.
The term heaven as employed here, would seem to symbolize the true heavenly, righteous,
spiritual class--those who are right with God, who are true co-workers together with Him
and who recognize the righteousness of His cause; and this spiritual class is made up of
such as those mentioned in the text--"ye holy apostles and prophets."
"There is a strong contrast between this language and that which precedes. Kings,
merchants, and seamen, who had been countenanced and sustained by her in the
indulgence of corrupt passions, or who had been enriched by traffic with her, would have
occasion to mourn. But not so they who had been persecuted by her. Not so the Church of
the redeemed. Not so heaven itself. The great oppressor of the Church, and the corrupter
of the world, was now destroyed; the grand hindrance to the spread of the Gospel was
now removed, and all the holy in heaven and on earth would have occasion to rejoice. This
is not the language of vengeance, but it is the language of exultation and rejoicing in view
of the fact that the cause of truth might now spread without hindrance through the earth."
In the next verse (21), reminding us of the prophetic action that Jeremiah instructed
Seraiah to perform when he came to literal Babylon and read the prophecies of Jeremiah
concerning the fall of that city (Jer. 51:60-64), St. John saw a mighty angel take up a stone
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence shall that great
city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."
"Interpretation is hardly needed in all this. The detail of judgment seems intended rather
to fix the attention and give us serious consideration of what God judges at last in this
unsparing way. Surely it is needed now, when Christian men are being taken with the
wiles of one who in a day of conflict and uncertainty can hold out to them a rest which is
not Christ's rest; who in the midst of defection from the faith can be the champion of
orthodoxy while shutting up the word of life from men; who can be all things to all men,
not to save, but to destroy them; at such a time, how great a need is there for pondering
her doom as the word of prophecy declares it, and the joy of heaven over the downfall of
the sorceress at last."