Chapter XVIII.
(Vers. 1.)
(Verse 1) After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. What follows, in general, pertains to the impious city, that is, to all the wicked. And in order to demonstrate more fully the destruction of Babylon, it returns to its initial ruin, by which it was overthrown through Christ. For this angel signifies Christ, who deigned to come down from heaven to earth, in order to uplift mankind to heavenly things. He is said to have great power; because he has the same power as the Father; because he is equal to the Father in all things. The Earth is illuminated by his glory; because through the teaching of his faith, the human race has emerged from the darkness of ignorance and unbelief.
(Vers. 2.)
(Verse 2.) And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'The voice of Christ is the teaching of the Gospel.' But what this voice cried out, it manifests by subduing: 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.' It is the saying of God; for He Himself said that Babylon has fallen, because He Himself caused it to fall: which is said to have fallen twice, because it fell first, when through the teaching of the Gospel it lost a great multitude of the elect, who were separated from it by the faith of Christ and became citizens of the holy city, that is, the Church: it will fall a second time, when in the last day it will be punished with eternal death, which is called the second death in this book. And a dwelling place for demons was made. Did demons not dwell in Babylon before the coming of Christ? They did indeed dwell, but their dwelling place was not known. But when a multitude of the elect was converted to faith, Babylon became a dwelling place for demons; because those who received the faith of Christ truly knew that the dwelling place of demons in Babylon had always existed. And it is the custody of every unclean spirit, and the custody of every unclean and detestable bird. Who are demons, they are unclean spirits, and unclean birds. They are called birds because just as winds continuously roam through this air, they constantly roam about. They are called custodians of Babylon because just as angels guard the chosen ones of God so that they do not sin so terribly that they perish, demons also watch over the wicked so that they never repent of their iniquities and be saved.
(Vers. 3.)
(Verse 3.) Because all the nations have drunk the wine of her wrath, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her luxury. Regarding what the wine of wrath is and what the fornication of the kings with Babylon is, we have briefly explained above. By the merchants of the earth, we can understand the lovers of the world who sacrifice their souls for the acquisition of money. Concerning such merchants, Jesus son of Sirach speaks, saying: For he has made his soul available for sale; for in his life he has cast aside his deepest self (Eccl. 20:10). He had a soul for sale, who was not afraid to hand it over to demons in exchange for money; but he calls the pleasures of Babylon virtue, because just as the chosen ones labor with all their virtue in order to acquire heavenly riches, so too the wicked exert themselves with all their efforts to accumulate perishable riches for themselves. Concerning such people, the prophet says: 'They have labored to act unjustly' (Jeremiah 9:5).
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Through heaven in this place the Church is designated: the voice from heaven is the voice of the preachers proceeding from the Church. But what does this voice say? Come forth from her, my people.' The Lord persuades His chosen ones through His preachers to come forth from Babylon, not in body, but in mind. However, He teaches how they should come forth from Babylon in the following, saying: 'And be not partakers of her sins.' Those truly come forth from Babylon who make themselves strangers to her evil works, as the Psalmist speaks of himself, saying: 'I have not sat in the council of vanity, neither have I gone in with the wicked' (Psalm 26:4).
And do not partake in her plagues. What are the plagues of Babylon, if not vices that destroy souls? We can also understand by the plagues of Babylon the punishments that are prepared for the wicked, so the meaning is: If you abstain from the sins of Babylon, you will be free from the eternal punishments that it will suffer.
(Vers. 5.)
(Verse 5) Because his sins have reached up to heaven, and God has remembered his iniquities. The almighty God always looks upon the iniquities of Babylon, but since He does not exact revenge, it seems as though He does not see what He sees. Therefore, by saying this, He designates the time in which all the wicked will be punished with everlasting torment.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16) Give to him, as he has given to you. It is commanded to the chosen ones, to give back to Babylon, as she has given to them, whether it be for the reason that the saints of God will judge the wicked, as the Lord says in the Gospel: In the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew XIX, 28): or whether it be for the reason that they are his members, to whom the power of judgment has been given by the Father. Therefore, the just will be avenged on the wicked, who have caused them suffering; for Christ, who is their head and of whom they are the members, will condemn them to eternal punishment. And their deeds will be repaid double according to their works. Babylon, chosen by God, was twice persecuted: it inflicted many evils on their bodies and souls. Likewise, it will receive double punishment; for as their bodies were tormented, so will their souls be; and their deeds will be doubly repaid, as they will receive eternal punishment in addition to the temporal and brief punishments that they afflicted upon the just. In the cup which he mixed for you, mix for him double. Through the cup of tribulations that the holy ones have suffered from the wicked, we can understand.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7) As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her so much torment and grief. As much as she has glorified herself, that is, exalted herself in pride and become entangled in all vices, she will receive even greater torments. For in her heart she says, 'I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' She calls herself a queen in a sense, when she exalts herself in the prosperity of this world. She says she is not a widow because she does not believe that she can be separated from the temporal goods to which she is attached and from which she nourishes her luxury. She says that she will not see grief; because the wicked, although they know that they are to be punished for their crimes, pretend not to see what they see, and they reject the remembrance of death from their mind, so that sorrowful thoughts do not disturb the joy of their heart.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8) Therefore, in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine. In the day of judgment, eternal death will come upon her, which is called the second death in this book. Mourning will come upon her, as the Lord says in the Gospel: There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). Famine will come upon her, that is, a famine of rest; for they will desire to rest from the punishments they endure, but they will never attain that rest.
(Vers. 9, 10.)
(v. 9, 10.) And she shall be burned with fire; that is, with eternal fire. For the Lord is strong, who shall judge her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication with her and have lived in luxury, shall weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing far off for fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come! We have already spoken of the fornication of the kings with Babylon; but it is very strange that they are said to stand far off, when they themselves are to be drowned in the same punishments as the other wicked ones who are designated through Babylon. Therefore, they will stand far away in mind and will, not in body; horrifying their own crimes, for which they will be eternally tormented. They will stand longing for something else, desiring another, that is, rest; and enduring another, that is, eternal torment.
(Vers. 11.)
(Verse 11) And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her; for no one buys their merchandise anymore. For we have previously stated that those designated by the merchants of the earth are lovers of the world, in this place we can consider them as merchants who seem to do good and sell it. There are indeed many who have been given knowledge of secular laws and carry the causes of the poor in court; but because they do this not out of love for God, but for the sake of receiving rewards, they do not receive their payment from God. Indeed, this misery has become so prevalent that scarcely could you find anyone among those who hold a position with the rulers who would utter a single word in support of providing for the needs of their impoverished neighbors without accepting a reward. We can also understand through the merchants of the land, those who seek praise from men for the good they do. We can also understand through the same people, those who sell ecclesiastical ranks, which divine Scripture strongly condemns. And although many of the bishops seem immune from this crime, their ministers often become polluted by it; but it is the responsibility of the teachers to address whatever wrongs are committed by the students. There is also another very serious crime committed by those who are called archdeacons; for they accept payment from adulterous priests and, by remaining silent, they consent to the evil that they could correct through the authority they have received from the bishops. There are also others among these priests who, fearing to be condemned for their crimes, are more diligent in the service of the archdeacons than the others. Against those who dare to speak against them, they defend themselves. And they pretend not to know what they know, and they are condemned by that prophetic saying which says: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20)! So I speak to you, who are such: behold, you have sold the soul of the priest to the devil. For who persuaded the priest to fornicate, if not the devil? Therefore, he who persuaded him to fornicate also persuaded him to give you a price, so that he could perpetrate this wickedness without fear. Therefore, by the hand of the priest, the devil gave you the price of the destruction of his own soul. Behold, you have received the price, and you have handed over the soul of your brother, redeemed by the blood of Christ, to the same devil from whom it was redeemed. In the Law it is written: 'Whoever sells a man, whether he is his brother, shall be put to death' (Exodus 21:16). Therefore, if that person is guilty who sells a man to another man, how much more guilty are you who have sold a man redeemed by the blood of Christ, not to a man, but to what is more harmful, the devil! Such merchants will weep and mourn in hell, for no one will buy their goods anymore; for they will lose what they seemed to possess, and will fall into the evil they neglected to foresee.
(Vers. 12, 13, 14)
(Verses 12, 13, 14). The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. In all the things that have been listed, the greed of Babylon and the extravagance are condemned. For even in the judgment the Lord will not say to the reprobates: Go, you cursed, into the eternal fire; for you have been murderers, proud, fornicators, adulterers; but he will say: I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat: I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink; and other works of mercy, from which greed removes the wicked, so that they may not be merciful towards the poor. For avarice is indeed the nurse of luxury: and the nourishments of luxury are described in this place, by which avarice is nourished. And if we wish to look closely, we will find that all the things which are enumerated in this place for the purpose of demonstrating the avarice or luxury of Babylon, pertain to the five senses of the body. For there are five senses of the body, that is, sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, which God has given to humans and animals; to animals for the preservation of their life only, but to humans for the preservation of life and also so that through them, reason, which has been entrusted to the soul, might be able to lead in the way of righteousness. Therefore, those who have striven to walk according to the right reason through these five senses of the body have acquired friendship with almighty God. However, the wicked, who pervert the good of reason into evil, have been compelled to serve these senses of the body in lust and other vices, and yet they have incurred the wrath of the just Judge. Therefore, if you wish to join those things which are written in the following passage, namely the voices of harpists and musicians, and the flute of singers and the trumpet, you will find that all the riches of Babylon, which are described here, pertain to the five senses of the body, as we have said above. For gold, silver, precious stones and pearls, they relate to sight; fine linen, purple, scarlet, and other things relate to touch; cinnamon, spices, ointments, and incense relate to smell; wine, oil, flour, wheat, and other things relate to taste; the sound of harpists, musicians, and singers playing the flute relates to hearing. Therefore, the condemnation of Babylon, as this Scripture demonstrates, primarily resides in its wealth; for wealth is the nourishment of vices, and from it greed, which can now be called the queen of the world, nourishes its luxury.
(Vers. 15, 16, 17.)
(Vers. 15, 16, 17.) Those who became rich will stand far away from her because of the fear of her torments, weeping and mourning, and saying, 'Woe, woe, that great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' When it is said that the rich of Babylon will stand far away, according to the higher sense that we have spoken of concerning kings, it is to be understood.
(Vers. 18, 19.)
(Vrs. 18, 19.) And every pilot, and all who sail into the lake, and the sailors who work on the sea, stood far off, and cried out, seeing the place of its fire, saying: What city is like this great city? And they threw dust on their heads, weeping and mourning, and saying: Woe, woe, that great city, in which all who had ships at sea grew rich from her wealth; for in one hour she has been laid waste! We can travel through the sea in this century: but truly understand the unjust leaders through the helmsmen: and through those who navigate from place to place, and through the sailors who work in the sea, those who exercise different occupations in plundering the poor, and in daily increasing their own sins in the world. Therefore, they will weep and mourn, seeing the place of the burning of Babylon; for they themselves will be Babylon, and they will mourn and weep. They will indeed see the burnings of Babylon, because by enduring their own burnings, they will see the things which, being placed in the mind of the century, they have neglected to observe in order to correct themselves. They are also said to have put ashes on their heads; for often through the head sins are symbolized by ashes. Therefore, they will put ashes on their heads; for the memory of sins will never depart from their minds.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) Rejoice over her, heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets; for God has avenged you on her. By heaven we may understand the angels, by the apostles the Fathers of the New Testament, and by the prophets the Fathers of the Old Testament. Therefore they shall rejoice, when the whole multitude of the wicked shall be destroyed together with the authors of iniquity. They shall rejoice also because then shall end all malice, and everlasting justice shall be brought in.
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21.) And one strong angel took a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: Thus with violence shall Babylon the great be thrown down, and it shall be found no more. This angel signifies Christ, who is called strong; for the strength of Christ is beyond what the human mind can comprehend. The great millstone represents the entire multitude of the wicked, and the sea represents the infernal abyss where all the wicked will be submerged. Therefore, the angel cast a millstone into the sea; for our Lord Jesus Christ, on the day of judgment, will cast down all the multitude of the wicked into hell by His righteous judgment.
(Vers. 22, 23.)
(Verses 22, 23.) And the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. This was previously mentioned. And every craftsman, and every craft shall not be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore, and the light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. We must inquire why the arts, the sound of a millstone, the light of a lamp, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride are considered among the sins of Babylon; when all these things can be pursued without guilt, and human life cannot continue without them. Therefore, all of these things should be understood spiritually. We can, therefore, through the arts of the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness before God (1 Corinthians 3:19), understand what the wicked artisans and sons of Babylon learn for this purpose, so that they may progress in the wickedness of Babylon; for they are wise to do evil, but they do not know how to do good (Jeremiah 4:22). However, the mill grinds and crushes whatever it receives: therefore, we can receive wicked judges through the mill. Therefore, the mill sends forth its voice, when wicked judges pronounce unjust judgments to crush the innocent. But through the light of the lamp, the glory of this world is signified: concerning this lamp, Scripture says, 'The lamp of the wicked will be extinguished' (Prov. XXIV, 20). Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished when they are taken away from this life, they lose temporal joy, and incur eternal sadness. Nevertheless, we can understand through the groom the lovers of this world, and through the bride the earth; because just as love binds the groom and the bride, to become one flesh: so the love of the world joins its lovers to the earth, to become one with it, from which, if it were possible, they would never want to be separated forever. Therefore, the craftsmen in Babylon will no longer be heard; for they will be condemned forever. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth. The Church has its merchants, and so does Babylon: the merchants of the Church store their treasures in heaven, where thieves do not dig and steal (Matt. 6:19); but the merchants of Babylon store their treasures on earth, where thieves dig and steal. And all nations have been led astray by your sorceries. The witchcraft of Babylon is various errors, through which the human race is deceived.
(Vers. 24.)
(Verse 24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints and of all who have been slain on the earth. The blood of saints was found in her, that is, the crime of killing saints, as the Lord says to the wicked Jews in the understanding of all reprobates: 'Upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth' (Matthew 23:35).