Chapter 18

1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every detestable beast. 3 For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.” 

This belongs with the last verses in chapter 17, that the church, the dragon and the kings at the height of imperialism are Babylon the great.  “The great” is showing that it is a vast empire.  Unclean birds and detestable beasts show other countries that are within the empires of Imperialism that are predatory and ungodly.  From biblehub.com 

Birds of prey are often used in prophetic literature to symbolize invading armies and impending doom. In Jeremiah 49:22 , the imagery of an eagle is used to describe the swiftness of Babylon's conquest: "Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. On that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor."

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. 7 As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ 8 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.” 9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” 

Revelation 14:8 Babylon the great is seeing the justice of God, and it’s the two sickles of WWI and WWII.  Here we see the fall of Imperialism during that time.  Babylon the great sees herself as a queen, with access to all the funds and goods of the nations under her control.  She is not a widow who is destitute and begging for food.  Her plagues come in a single day, in a very short period of time.  Death comes with the Spanish Flu in 1914. Mourning comes through WWI, and the loss of so many young soldiers.  Famine comes after the Great Depression and the U.S. and Europe are brought low by this final plague.

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.  14 “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!” 15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?” 19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. 

There is symbolic meaning over all the items here.  In verse 13 it shows all the gifts of blessing that the followers of God received in the Old Testament.  In the next chapter we see references to the mighty revivals that took place in the 1800s.  But the countries did not repent and turn from their wickedness so the day of judgement was here.  In a single hour is the 46 years from 1899 – 1945 starting with the Bubonic Plague, then WWI, then the Spanish Flu, the fall of Imperialism, the stock market crash, widespread and prolonged drought (Dust Bowl) and finally WWII.   The merchants refers to the sea trade and exports that prospered the European beast because of Imperialism.

20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, 21 Then a mighty 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 be found no more; 22 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, will be heard in you no more, 23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”

The Spanish flu probably originated in the U.S. at Fort Riley, KS.  Interestingly, this is where General Custer was stationed and sent out to the Battle of the Little Bighorn just 40 years before the outbreak.  The outbreak then spread overseas when sick soldiers crossed the Atlantic and landed on the shores of Europe.  The flu targeted men from age 20 – 40, severely affected pregnant women and left many families devastated and children orphaned.  Schools, churches… actually all public places were ordered closed.  There would be people that would seem well in the morning then by the evening they would be dead.