book of Revelation 18:1–24 Catholic Bible study lesson 19

The Revelation of Jesus Christ:
The Faithful Witness

Lesson 19 Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon the Great!
the book of Revelation 18:1–24

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Revelation
cross references in the book of Revelation
chapter-by-chapter review page
next lesson: The Mighty Voice of a Great Multitude

This material coordinates with Lesson 19 on pages 115–120 in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

“Great and wonderful are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you, for your judgments have been revealed.”
—the book of Revelation 15:3–4

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Revelation
We invite groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson and video from this 23-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free lesson videos, a glossary, cross references in the biblical text, and a chapter-by-chapter review page—and they also include illustrations, maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness has been granted an imprimatur. The study may be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Revelation 17:1–18
In Lesson 18 Mother of Harlots, one of the angels shows John the judgment of the great harlot seated on many waters. A woman clothed in scarlet and purple and adorned with jewels is seated on a scarlet beast. Her name of mystery is “Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.” She is drunk with the blood of saints and martyrs. The beast was, is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition. Dwellers on earth marvel at the beast because it was and is not and is to come. Its seven heads are seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, and one has not yet come. The beast that was and is not is an eighth but belongs to the seven and goes to perdition. The 10 horns are 10 kings who haven’t yet received royal power; they will make war on the Lamb. The Lamb will conquer them. The waters on which the harlot is seated are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. The beast and horns will hate the harlot and destroy her.

an idea about liturgy that’s easy to miss
In reading all this description about Babylon being destroyed and the details about the people who’ve distanced themselves from the great city, it’s easy to overlook what seems to be one of the most important points in the book of Revelation. The eighteenth chapter in the book of Revelation shows the effects that heavenly liturgy has on corrupt Babylon. The great city that symbolizes Satan’s best efforts to corrupt humanity is destroyed in one hour. The time frame is repeated three times in the biblical text, indicating that the author views this amount of time in this context worth further consideration. What does that tell us? How easy would it would be for a large city to be laid to waste so quickly? The kings, merchants, and seafarers all seem to marvel at this. Perhaps more marvelous is God’s mercy in allowing them to escape from the confines of Babylon prior to judgment against the city. Click on the image (above right) to enlarge Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino’s illustration, which is on page 117 of The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. The map shows the location of Babylon, described as a source of evil in the book of Revelation 14:8, where an angel in mid-heaven announces: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion.” The map appears on page 95 and elsewhere in the study book; the image (right) can be enlarged by clicking on it. The original map accompanies Lesson 18 Daniel: A Model Jew in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets: Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, the second of two volumes in our study of the biblical prophets.

the beginning of the end for images associated with evil (01:01:40)
In the eighteenth chapter in the book of Revelation, the author starts describing how the images of evil disappear as we approach the end of time. In the video for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out that by now readers should be aware that we’ve come to the end of our seven series of seven heavenly “weeks”—but we still haven’t moved into the eighth (and 50th) day. As long as time exists, humanity never will get past these repeating sevens. Since the number seven in the book of Revelation represents completion but not perfection, this chapter highlights that perfection hasn’t yet been achieved. The institutions of evil need to be eliminated, which is going to happen in reverse order, starting with the harlot referred to as “Babylon,” an image of the church of evil and a parallel to God’s church on earth. The verb tense changes in this section of the book of Revelation point to the idea that whenever God speaks, it’s performative; what’s spoken happens simply because God says so. God also has granted that—through the saving action of Jesus Christ—whenever the sacraments are performed correctly, God will act. The sacraments always include men and women speaking the proper words.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. You can follow along with the video overview as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 19, “Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon the Great!” on pages 115–120 in the study book.

thinking through liturgical connections
A participant in this Catholic Bible study has asked how the eighteenth chapter in the book of Revelation specifically relates to the liturgy. Use of the article—”the” liturgy—suggests this question about liturgy is being asked in terms of the Mass. Much has been written by other commentators about the book of Revelation and its connection to the Mass as heaven on earth, and it’s possible that the questioner was thinking about that type of liturgy. Confusion is understandable. Frankly, it’s a bit difficult to see any direct connection between most of the events described in the book of Revelation and Christian worship practices. That doesn’t mean that there are no liturgical references in the book of Revelation, nor does it suggest that John’s apocryphal vision isn’t presenting a Christian view of heaven. Instead, it strongly suggests that the liturgy depicted in the book of Revelation is more related to the Old Testament than the New. This is entirely in keeping with the fact that Christian liturgical practices are based on Hebrew worship traditions. Consider how Jesus’ sacrifice—commemorated in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the ultimate Christian liturgy—is related to the Old Testament.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about Babylon & liturgy?
The big event occurring in Lesson 19 of The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness is the burning of Babylon, so the two questions to start with are:

? What’s Babylon’s connection to liturgy?
? What’s that city’s relationship to humanity?
? Of what is Babylon a symbol?
? Since fire doesn’t commonly figure into our Christian Mass other than lighted candles to represent the light of Christ, how might burning relate to the liturgical practices described in the Old Testament?
? What was burned in the Old Testament sacrifices?
? What was the purpose of those sacrifices?
? Consider what might be the significance of the fact that there’s no evidence in the eighteenth chapter in the book of Revelation of any people perishing in the burning city. The kings, merchants, and seafarers all are described standing outside of the city, where they lament its sudden destruction. What’s being destroyed in this blaze?
? What might be the purpose of destroying Babylon by fire?
? How is this purpose related to the purpose of Old Testament liturgical sacrifices?

Babylon exists for humans to amass power & wealth
Exploitative commerce takes in merchants and seafarers. That’s really just one category that’s then paired with kings in a symbiotic relationship. Kings and merchants (including seafarers) need Babylon to continue to amass power and wealth. This section of the book of Revelation describes what happens when a system that relies on money disappears, and then these groups dependent on commerce are left weeping and mourning as they try to distance themselves from Babylon.

pray with the Psalms—putting an end to idolatry
The method of the destruction of Babylon is similar to an Old Testament sacrifice made in atonement for sins. It’s not unlike what happened after the Israelites’ blunder with the golden calf in the wilderness. That precipitated God commanding them to sacrifice animals every morning and evening. It’s clear throughout the Scriptures that God isn’t interested in the actual animal sacrifice. “Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” God asks in Psalm 50. The point is that the Israelites, after all God had done in leading them out of slavery in Egypt, latched onto the first opportunity they could to start worshiping a golden idol in the image of an animal. God’s people were engaging in the false worship practices they’d learned from the Egyptians and other ancient pagan peoples. As a restorative measure, God ordered his people to slaughter and burn the same kind of animals they’d been worshiping in place of the one true God. Prayed at Wednesday Vigils (Week III), Psalm 50 will be included as part of Lesson 21 Out of Zion, God Is Shining Forth in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, which is scheduled for publication in 2025.

what’s with the seafarers’ throwing dust on their heads?
This leads into another question: Why, in the book of Revelation 18:19, do the seafarers throw dust on their heads when they see Babylon in flames? The biblical text goes on to offer a hint when it next describes the seafarers weeping and mourning. The dust is a sign of their mourning. In the Old Testament, people place dust, dirt, or ashes on their heads to indicate mourning. This carries over into our present-day worship on Ash Wednesday, when we’re marked with ashes as a sign of our repentance for sin. When we repent, we mourn our own past behavior. The seafarers in the book of Revelation are engaging in a different type of mourning. Instead of regretting their behavior, they’re saddened because what they’ve been worshiping is being destroyed in front of them. Their mourning isn’t the same as that represented by Christians on Ash Wednesday, but the underlying imagery is related.

a look at this image of the harlot
Given that humanity is eager to focus on anything concerning sex, the choice of a harlot to symbolize human corruption seems like a no-brainer. The author of the book of Revelation carries it forward from the preceding chapter and continues to refer to Babylon’s actions in terms related to sexual infidelity: wantonness, fornication, impure passion. The idea of sexual infidelity itself offers two clues to understanding the image. (Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino’s illustration [right] from Lesson 18 Mother of Harlots can be enlarged by clicking on it.)

The first clue is found in the word “infidelity,” which is the opposite of the word “fidelity.” “Fidelity” is a word that means “acting in faith.” When humanity aligns itself with Babylon, humanity isn’t acting in faith. Men and women are betraying God by being unfaithful, acting in opposition to their Creator. They’re ignoring God’s commandments, especially the important commandment against idolatry. In worshiping money, sex, power, humanity itself, or Satan, men and women aren’t worshiping God. They are, in the full sense of the word, infidels, for they’re acting out of infidelity.

The second clue is found in the fact that this image is of sexual infidelity. Sex, properly understood, is the union of two people in a creative act, the ultimate purpose of which is to bring about new life. Much has been written about the misappropriation of sex into an act of selfish pleasure that denies creativity and life. The Scriptures abound with examples of prophets using the example of a harlot to describe humanity’s rejection of God’s love. This image emphasizes humanity’s selfish desires in turning away from life. The choice we’re faced with throughout the Bible is the choice between life and death. Babylon, the great harlot, represents humanity’s freely chosen preference for death. God has been denied. Something other than God has become the object of our love and worship. Babylon symbolizes the force that draws humanity away from proper worship of God and toward idolatry.

the beast who was & is not & is to ascend
This strange description of the beast appears in the book of Revelation 17:7–11, a passage in the biblical text for Lesson 18 Mother of Harlots in which the angel explains the mystery of the beast to John. “Mystery” in this sense has to do with ancient cultic practices and isn’t something secretive as we usually think of the word. The angel’s use of the word “mystery” points to the false liturgy being promoted by the harlot and the beast. It’s worth spending a little time with the odd language used to describe the beast, because that image is a key to understanding the last remaining difficult chapter in the book of Revelation, chapter 20, which we’ll study in Lesson 21 This is the First Resurrection.

This beast can be understood to be synonymous with Satan. It’s the same color as the dragon, and it has the same number of heads and horns. The biggest clue is that it’s to ascend from the bottomless pit. The pit is one of several images—along with Hades, the sea, the underworld—used by the author of the book of Revelation to refer to the realm of the dead. Remember that this author understands two types of death. Satan is the ruler of the realm of death, but his personal mobility also is limited to things related to death. He can stand on the edge of the sea, but he can’t leave it. The beasts are extensions of Satan, and through them he can tempt humanity and bring about evil on the earth. Satan’s ultimate purpose is to draw humanity away from the worship of God. The beasts can function on the earth and their influence is real, but they aren’t Satan—they’re extensions of him. So if a beast is described as ascending from the bottomless pit to go to perdition, that has to be Satan himself.

what’s happening with time during the end times
What makes the final chapters of the book of Revelation so difficult is that time is merging, much the same way that spatial barriers are being torn down. Everything is moving toward an end of time when there won’t be a past or a future but only the eternal now. In Christian theology, God is understood as Being. God exists. In the book of Exodus, God (sort of) tells his name to Moses: “I Am,” and throughout the Gospel According to John, Jesus identifies with that name. (You can learn more in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies, You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus and The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.) God is. Satan, on the other hand, is not. It isn’t that Satan is some separate thing set up in opposition to God. Satan embodies nothingness (a difficult notion to wrap our heads around). There are other examples in Scripture. Darkness isn’t equal to light, it’s the absence of light. God is light, those who live in sin are in darkness. If God isn’t present, we have nothingness and darkness.

running out of time with nowhere to go
With time coming to an end (that’s what’s meant by the end times), Satan has nowhere to go and no time to exist because he doesn’t exist in the present. He is not. He did exist in time and space. He was. But now he’s stuck in the pit, the realm of death. From there he’s been extending his reach and influence on the earth. But like heaven, Hades (also called the pit or the abyss) is outside of humanity’s constructs of time and space. The big difference between God and Satan is that God exists in all time and space and any other way imaginable. God is the Creator of everything we can think of and more. Satan is not. Period. Full stop, as the British would put it. Satan’s realm has been limited by God to the underworld. We’ve seen evidence of that already in the book of Revelation, and we’ll see more soon. When the spatial and temporal barriers start breaking down, this has serious consequences for Satan. He’s going to ascend from the pit but only to go to perdition. He’s headed for destruction.

the power of evil is very real
The book of Revelation tells us that Satan is not, and as the book of Revelation winds to a close in the final chapters we’ll see what happens to him. Even though Satan is not, it’s dangerous and wrong to think that his power is illusory. His influence in tempting humanity to sin is very real, even though it’s based on deception rooted in the past (when he was). Men and women must remain on guard against the temptations of evil, but Christians have the advantage of knowing how the story ends. Satan is no match for God. God and Satan aren’t equally opposing powers and forces. So far in our study of the book of Revelation we haven’t seen God directly enter into battle with Satan. When that happens (and it will very soon), Satan is done for. That’s a comforting thought.

Jesus as an angel
This image is troubling some participants, and there’s been a suggestion that perhaps the problem is
intensified by the illustrations in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness that show Jesus with wings. (An example is the illustration created by Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino to accompany Lesson 11 A Mighty Angel Come Down from Heaven. Click on the image [right] to enlarge it.) Wings are the easiest way to visually identify an angel, but wings aren’t the most significant thing that we know about angels. To figure out what’s going on, we need to start asking some questions about the context in which Jesus is appearing as an angel. What might be the connection between the two? What is the defining characteristic of an angel? What do angels do elsewhere in the Scriptures? We know that angels are messengers for God. So when we see Jesus depicted as an angel in the book of Revelation, it’s fair to start with the assumption that he has a message for humanity. Look back at other places in the book of Revelation to learn what Jesus has been doing when he’s been shown as an angel. What conclusions can be drawn from Jesus appearing as an angel?

WHAT DO YOU THINK about these images?
It’s not a bad idea as we move forward in this book to start thinking about what Jesus is doing in all of the various situations in which he’s depicted by one image or another.

? When does Jesus show up as a Lamb?
? When does Jesus appear as a rider on a white horse?
? When is Jesus described as one like a son of Man?
? When does Jesus come on the scene as an angel?

glory—you could look it up in our archives
The book of Revelation 18:7 indicates that Babylon is being punished for trying to bring glory upon herself. To learn about the meaning of the word “glory” as it’s associated with God, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

Old Testament prophecy concerning Final Judgment
One of the key themes of the book of Revelation is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in connection with Final Judgment. Learn more about some of the many examples of this to be found in the eighteenth chapter of the book of Revelation by reading “Prophecy Fulfilled” on page 120 of The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. Our two-part Catholic Bible study Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided and Volume II: Restoration & Redemption provides an in-depth look at the biblical prophets.

why are there so many liturgical elements?
How many ways can liturgical elements be seen as necessary components of the events leading to Final Judgment in the book of Revelation? As we near the end of our study (we have only four more lessons), be on the lookout for more descriptions pertaining to liturgy, especially to Old Testament liturgy. Why might the author seem to be avoiding elements found only in Christian worship to focus exclusively on liturgical practices of the Old Testament?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the book of Revelation 18:24—paragraph 2642

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the cross references pertaining to it—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

review previous lessons
As we progress through the book of Revelation, the images become more complex, increasing the potential for confusion. To help participants in our study keep track of what’s happening in the Scripture, we’ve prepared a chapter-by-chapter review of key events and images in the book of Revelation. A link can be found at the top of every online study page that accompanies The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
You can find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This page includes a listing of significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Revelation 18:1–24 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following short prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Revelation.

O God, you created men and women with the ability
to amass large amounts of wealth.
Teach us to be honest and generous in our dealings with others
and to desire spiritual goods above material goods.
Enable us to love people more than things,
and to love you above all else.
We ask this in the name of your Son,
who during his time on earth
demonstrated the greatest love of all. Amen.

Lesson 20 The Mighty Voice of a Great Multitude, the book of Revelation 19:1–21
Lesson 18 Mother of Harlots, the book of Revelation 17:1–18

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions and offer support. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online pages of The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.