Revelation 14 8

Revelation 14:8 kjv

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Revelation 14:8 nkjv

And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

Revelation 14:8 niv

A second angel followed and said, "?'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,' which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."

Revelation 14:8 esv

Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality."

Revelation 14:8 nlt

Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, "Babylon is fallen ? that great city is fallen ? because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality."

Revelation 14 verses

Revelation 14 8 Meaning

This verse proclaims the decisive and irreversible fall of "Babylon the great," a symbolic entity representing systems of spiritual apostasy, political oppression, and economic corruption that stand against God. Her judgment is due to her pervasive influence, described as a "wine of the wrath of her fornication," which she caused all nations to drink, leading them into moral and spiritual debauchery. This pronouncement signifies God's impending righteous judgment upon all who defy Him and corrupt humanity.

Revelation 14 8 Context

Revelation 14:8 is part of a series of three angelic proclamations that occur between the vision of the Lamb on Mount Zion (representing God's faithful remnant) and the final harvest judgments. The first angel proclaims the eternal gospel, calling all to worship God. The second angel's message, this verse, directly follows, declaring the inevitable fall of "Babylon," presenting a stark contrast and warning against allegiance to the forces of anti-God power. Historically, "Babylon" served as a powerful symbol of any dominant, idolatrous, and oppressive empire that corrupted God's people and sought to establish itself as a divine power, much like Rome in John's day. The cultural context involves a polemic against the Roman imperial cult and its pervasive influence on the global economy and morality, which coerced nations into idolatry and opposition to the true God. This angelic message confirms God's ultimate victory and serves as a call for God's people to resist her influence and await her judgment.

Revelation 14 8 Word analysis

• And: A conjunction connecting this angelic proclamation to the previous one, signifying a sequential revelation in the divine plan.
• another angel: (Greek: allos aggelos) Implies a distinct angel from the first who proclaimed the gospel in Rev 14:6. This is a new, yet related, divine messenger.
• a second: (Greek: deuteros) Emphasizes its place in the sequence of three key angelic messages in this chapter.
• followed: Indicates immediate succession in the prophetic narrative, maintaining the dramatic flow of God's unfolding judgments.
• saying: Introduces the direct speech of the angel, the divine proclamation.
• “Fallen, fallen (Greek: epesen epesen): An emphatic repetition, borrowed directly from Isaiah 21:9 in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament). This double pronouncement signifies certainty, irreversibility, and finality of the judgment. It is not merely a prophecy but a declaration of a done deed in the divine counsel, signaling a complete collapse.
• is Babylon: Refers not primarily to the literal ancient city, which was already in ruins, but a symbolic representation. In Revelation, "Babylon" typically refers to the city of Rome as the current embodiment of anti-God political, economic, and religious power in John's time. It also symbolizes any oppressive, idolatrous world system or empire throughout history that seduces or persecutes God's people.
• the great: (Greek: hē megalē) Highlights Babylon's immense power, influence, grandeur, and global reach. It stands in contrast to the meekness of the Lamb but represents a formidable adversary. This title also implicitly identifies her with the "great city" mentioned elsewhere in Revelation, particularly Rev 17:18.
• she who: Identifies Babylon as the agent of the described action, linking her power directly to her destructive influence.
• made all nations drink: (Greek: epotisen panta ta ethnē) Describes Babylon's active and pervasive corruption. She supplied or gave to drink, indicating a forceful or seductive influence that led to global defilement. It highlights her comprehensive reach over the gentile world.
• of the wine: (Greek: tou oinou) Symbolically represents a intoxicating, intoxicating substance, here signifying a poison or potent mixture. It is something pleasurable in appearance but deadly in effect, leading to delusion and moral collapse.
• of the wrath: (Greek: tou thymou) This term can denote furious anger or intense passion/lust. Here, in connection with "fornication," it speaks to the intense, destructive passion of Babylon's immoral and idolatrous ways, which brings about God's wrath and leads others astray. Some interpretations also see it as the fierce divine judgment which is prepared for her due to her corrupting acts.
• of her fornication: (Greek: tēs porneias autēs) Metaphor for spiritual harlotry, idolatry, illicit alliances, and gross moral corruption. It represents Babylon's unfaithfulness to God, her engaging in detestable practices, and leading others into sinful practices through her economic, political, and religious seductions. This is her defining characteristic and the basis for her condemnation.

• "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great": This phrase is a powerful echo of Old Testament prophecies concerning the literal Babylon (e.g., Isa 21:9; Jer 51:8). Its repetition signifies the absolute certainty and totality of its destruction, viewed from a divine perspective as already accomplished, even before it fully manifests in history. It also serves as a polemic, asserting God's sovereignty over even the most formidable human powers.
• "she who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication": This composite phrase encapsulates Babylon's primary sin and the scope of its devastating impact. It emphasizes that Babylon is not merely corrupt internally but actively and successfully exports her corrupting influence globally. The "wine of her fornication" is the intoxicating substance of her idolatry, immorality, and opposition to God, which nations eagerly consume, leading them to participate in her sins and thereby become deserving of similar judgment. The "wrath" here is largely understood as the intense passion/fury of her sin, which poisons others, not primarily God's wrath on others through her, but rather the internal consequence of her sinful system that intoxicates.

Revelation 14 8 Bonus section

The concept of "Babylon the Great" is multifaceted, serving as an archetypal representation throughout church history. It embodies not just a historical city or empire (like Rome for John's audience) but any human system, structure, or culture that elevates itself against God, corrupts humanity with false worship, oppresses God's people, and lures nations into spiritual and moral depravity. The announcement of its fall, proclaimed before its physical demise, emphasizes God's sovereign control over history and His preordained victory over all forms of evil. The repetition of "Fallen, fallen" signifies both the certainty and the swiftness of divine judgment. This verse reinforces the eschatological certainty of God's triumph over all rebellious earthly powers and serves as a powerful call for God's people to maintain spiritual purity and separation from the defilements of the world.

Revelation 14 8 Commentary

Revelation 14:8 delivers a pivotal announcement in the prophetic drama: the irreversible downfall of "Babylon the great." This symbolic entity embodies the ultimate expression of humanity's rebellion against God, characterized by systems of global political power, economic oppression, and spiritual apostasy. Her impending judgment is declared with resounding certainty by the repetition "Fallen, fallen," echoing ancient prophecies to emphasize its absolute finality. Babylon's central crime is her corrupting influence, depicted as "wine of the wrath of her fornication," which she cunningly administers to "all nations." This "wine" represents the intoxicating allure and destructive effects of her idolatry, immorality, and deceptive worldly system—her insatiable passion for self-worship and power, enticing nations into illicit spiritual and economic partnerships that turn them away from the one true God. This verse therefore serves as a divine indictment of all human systems that deify themselves, lead humanity into spiritual infidelity, and stand opposed to God's reign. It offers reassurance to the persecuted faithful that divine justice will prevail, and a stark warning to those allied with the world's corrupt systems.