The Bible Says
Revelation 18:21-24 Meaning

In Revelation 18:21-14, another angel pronounces further violent destruction upon Babylon, she who contains the blood of the saints slain upon the earth. At this dramatic conclusion of Revelation 18, the finality of Babylon’s destruction is vividly portrayed. John tells us:

Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer” (v. 21).

A millstone is a massive circular stone used to grind grain. Its defining characteristic is great weight. There is only one outcome of a millstone being thrown into the sea, and that is sinking to the bottom. This millstone is particularly massive; it takes a strong angel to heave it into the sea.

In the ancient world, a millstone that sunk to the bottom of the sea would remain there forever. It is too heavy for any diver to bring to the surface. This massive millstone provides a picture of permanent destruction. Thus, this image speaks of utter and irreversible ruin. The throwing down of the stone will be done with great violence. There is no doubt about Babylon’s fate. Like a great millstone at the bottom of the sea, Babylon will not be found any longer.

Jesus also used an illustration involving a millstone in Matthew 18:6: “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Here, drowning with a millstone around one’s neck is an apt judgement for leading children astray. We saw in Revelation 18:13 that Babylon traded in “slaves and human lives.” It is typical that children are a major part of a system that traffics humans. Now Babylon, the great harlot, has figuratively had a millstone tied around her neck and been thrown into the sea; it is destroyed forever.

The Babylon of Revelation refers symbolically to the global economic system at the end of the age, but its corrupt character was foreshadowed by ancient Babylon. In Revelation 18, we witness how both ancient and future Babylon share the same spirit of pride and oppression. Ancient Babylon met its downfall through divine judgment. So it will be with the future Babylon: it will not be found any longer.

In time, ancient Babylon was utterly destroyed and has never been rebuilt. The location of the ancient city is still in ruins until today. As the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed of Babylon:

“Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.”
(Jeremiah 51:37)

So it will be with future Babylon. It will be utterly wiped out.

Verse 22 expands on the categories of activities that will become extinct. John adds:

And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer (v. 22).

Harps, flutes, and trumpets provided entertainment and celebration in the ancient world. Such music was a part of its cultural vibrancy and prosperity. It appears that this sort of celebration and entertainment will come to an end. Perhaps one of the reasons the beast and his ten allies hate the harlot so much is because there are some elements that create human happiness (Revelation 17:16). These will also be destroyed by the beast.

Craftsmen of every sort once thrived in bustling marketplaces, but now they have disappeared; no craftsman of any craft will be found because of commercial Babylon’s total ruin. The sound of a mill would refer to the daily activity of bread-making. This is a very basic sign of continued life and commerce. It appears that even this sort of routine activity ceases.

The cessation of milling might mark an end to normal, everyday existence. Perhaps the beast has eliminated all commerce in order to focus all activities upon his apparent obsession: to meet and defeat the Lamb in warfare. Perhaps he considered the activities of everyday life and the human joys of entertainment to be a distraction from his maniacal focus on making war with God.

Where once there was feasting and revelry, now there is emptiness. The only thing remaining is a great war. Perhaps with the collapse of economic activity, all production and effort are solely oriented toward war. We will see the culmination of that war in the next chapter.

We can make application to remind us that every aspect of life is dependent upon God’s sustaining hand. As Paul asserts, “in Him [Jesus] all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Without Jesus, all things fall apart. We can also be reminded of this each day when we pray “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

In verse 23, the imagery of darkness replaces any trace of light; the angel continues his pronouncement, saying:

and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery (v. 23).

Lamps in the ancient world provided the source of interior illumination after sunset, and the light of the lamp in the home shining through the windows would be a sign that a town was occupied with people. Commercial Babylon has no such light. It is unoccupied and barren. The form of trading and commerce that benefitted them has ceased.

Furthermore, the mention of the voice of the bridegroom and bride not being heard in Babylon any longer (v. 23) seems to depict an end of joyful celebrations. Weddings symbolize fresh beginnings and communal festivity. A wedding is the beginning of a new family. It would seem Babylon will have neither. It would make sense for the beast to hate families because the beast is of Satan (the dragon), and families reflect the image of God. Since Satan is the adversary of God, he seeks to resist all things that are of God.

While normal life events like marriage once thrived within Babylon’s bounds, now all such activity appears to dissolve into perpetual darkness. Perhaps part of the reason for this is the devastation from the various plagues upon the earth. Below is an account of such plagues in Revelation:

• In Revelation 6:8 a fourth of the earth was killed.
• In Revelation 8:11 many more died because of fouled waters.
• In Revelation 9:18 a third of those who remained died.
• In Revelation 13:15 those who refused to worship the image of the beast were killed.

It would seem that the earth’s population by this time will have dropped to less than half of what it had been prior to the beginning of the three-and-one-half-year period Jesus called a time of “great tribulation” (Mathew 24:13).

The closing explanation for the cause of this great judgment is because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery (v. 23). We were told that Babylon was inhabited and characterized by demonic forces (Revelation 18:2). It seems that Satan will inhabit and characterize this future Babylon. We know that the nature of Satan is to deceive. Jesus said he “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Yet, now Satan’s key instrument, the beast, has become God’s instrument to destroy Babylon. Part of the reason is that the nations were deceived. It should be no surprise that Satan devours his own; he is a prowling lion seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8). That this speaks of the nations again indicates that Babylon and the harlot represent a global economy.

The Greek word translated sorcery is “pharmakeia.” This can refer to occultic practice which often utilizes drug-induced enchantment or mind-altering practices. It could also point simply to drug usage. Humans tend to misuse drugs in order to create the illusion that they can control environments and circumstances. In doing this, they make a futile attempt to escape both reality and accountability. The cause-effect God built into His creation cannot be overcome by such attempts to escape.

However, it seems the text connects the deception due to Babylon’s sorcery with the merchants who were the great men of the earth. It is inferred that the merchants who were the great men of the earth gained their great wealth through sorcery. This could mean a number of things. But what seems clear is that the commercial system the merchants mourn exploited rather than served.

This made it unjust. For something to be “just” is for it to align with a proper standard. God’s design for creation was a design for harmony and mutual benefit. Satan’s counterfeit is a system where the strong exploit the weak. Babylon traded in “slaves and human lives” among other indulgences, showing it was not a system that aligned with God’s design (Revelation 18:13).

Finally, verse 24 pronounces a core reason behind Babylon’s judgment by God:

And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth (v. 24).

This statement moves beyond mere economic corruption to highlight Babylon’s direct role in persecuting and killing those faithful to God.

We can infer that the cessation of allowing believers to buy and sell was done in cooperation between the beast and the merchants (Revelation 13:17). Thus, the commercial system was a full accomplice to the death of God’s people, both those who spoke the truth (prophets) as well as those who were slain for being a faithful witness (saints).

But verse 24 goes on to frame the merchants as accomplices for the death of all who have been slain on the earth. Apparently, it is not only God-worshippers who will die at the hands of the beast, since the phrase and all who have been slain on the earth is added to the blood of prophets and of saints. It seems clear that the commercial system helps the beast accomplish his murders.

Throughout history, oppressive empires have shed innocent blood, targeting prophets—those who spoke God’s Word—as well as ordinary believers, known here as saints. All the apostles other than John died a martyr’s death, and he was exiled for his faithful witness (Revelation 1:9).

John’s vision in this chapter echoes the earlier scenes in Revelation 6:9–11, where the souls of the martyrs cry out for divine justice. Babylon’s complicity in injustice and violence was not isolated or accidental; rather, it was intrinsic to the system itself. By aligning with the forces of the beast (Revelation 17:3–6), Babylon fostered an environment hostile to the gospel and to God’s people. Here, the final verdict shows that God has not forgotten the pleas of those who died for their testimony.

Babylon’s demise thus exemplifies God’s promise to avenge His faithful ones, reassuring persecuted believers throughout the ages that justice will be served once their number is completed (Revelation 6:11).

Although saints may suffer persecution—even death—under tyrannical systems, the Lord ultimately restores justice. Jesus affirmed in Matthew 10:28 that we should not fear those who can kill the body but cannot touch the soul. Indeed, the entire message of Revelation underscores that the Lamb’s victory is assured, and all evil powers, no matter how formidable, will be brought low.

The key message of Revelation is to exhort believers to remain as faithful witnesses, not fearing rejection, loss, or death, that we might gain the immense blessings and rewards God desires for us to posses through our faithfulness (Revelation 1:3, 3:21, 21:7).