January 1: AS MANY AS TRADE ON THE SEA
“For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.” Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What is like this great city?” Revelation 18:17-18
Today we find a third category of people in John’s vision who stood at a distance as they witnessed the collapse of the great city. These figurative shipmasters, sailors, sea travelers, and traders represent all who have supported the messaging that John described as smoke out of the bottomless pit (9:2). These devote time and effort in support of world governments (the kings of the earth) and popular preachers (the merchants of the earth) who sell luxurious spiritual merchandise to those with itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3). The transporters of today’s verse would include publishing, broadcasting, and other media organizations working to multiply and disseminate Babylon’s false teachings. The sea represents the multitudes among which these operate. These teachings are presented as great riches, but they will surely [come] to nothing.
Trade is an interesting word. The famous description that compares Satan to the King of Tyre tells us: By the abundance of your trading, you became filled with violence within, and you sinned (Ezekiel 28:16a). The beautiful angel, the anointed cherub who covers (v.14), allowed himself to become obsessed with the idea of receiving worship; he traded the truth of God’s unique worthiness of all worship for the lie that he himself deserved to be worshiped. Self-exaltation has spread like a virus to all humans and takes many forms, which is why our loving Lord reminds us that even our own hearts can deceive us (Proverbs 17:20; Jeremiah 17:9)!
The rhetorical question “What is like this great city?” refers to the unique city within a city: Vatican City in the heart of Rome. You will remember Peter’s cryptic greeting from the growing assembly of true believers in Rome to fellow believers throughout the Roman Empire: She [the true church] who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you (1 Peter 5:13). All three categories of lamenters in Revelation 18 muse over the greatness of Babylon. It is a direct parallel to the worshipers of the beast in Revelation 13:4 who say, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Put forth as a taunt during days of prosperity, this is a parody of the rhetorical question by worshipers of God: Who is like God? (see Exodus 15:11; Psalm 35:10; Micah 7:18).
In prophetic time, one hour likely refers to an intense two-week period toward the end of the year (prophetic day of 18:8) of Babylon’s ruin.
You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the LORD God: “O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’ Your borders are in the midst of the seas. Your builders have perfected your beauty. They . . . were your oarsmen . . . your pilots . . . to market your merchandise . . . your many luxury goods . . . [They] were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise . . . traders . . . and merchants . . . traversing back and forth . . . [with] choice items. You were filled and very glorious in the midst of the seas. And the entire company which is in your midst, will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin. Ezekiel 27:3,4,8,9,12,13,17,18,19,24,25,27