Revelation 18:14 Commentary and Bible Study

There are many good and beautiful things in this world which are not evil in themselves but which become offensive by the use that man makes of them. The merchants have lost all their earthly treasure. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth’, says Christ, ‘where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.’ The loss of these things brings great pain to unbelievers. They have stored up treasure on earth, contrary to Christ’s instruction. It is inevitable that they will lose it. At the end of this world, God will give us a spectacular exhibition of the folly of making anything in this world to be our treasure. Can a man bear the loss of his treasure? No, he has invested too much of himself in it. In their folly men make an eternal treasure out of what is passing away. They invest all their happiness and joy in things that are doomed for destruction. Their hope therefore perishes with their gods. They have made their choice, and that choice was their final choice. They have been willing to exchange their souls for these things, and now they cannot buy their souls back again. But what have they gained? Do they have something more precious than their own souls? No, they have something worthless. Even the little they had has been taken from them. It is too late to ask God to give them their souls back. Besides, they still love the things of Babylon, and now their only response is sorrow. Like a man who tries to satisfy his thirst on salt water, they are left with a raging thirst which the salt water only further inflames. That sense of loss is part of God’s punishment of the wicked. It shows them the vanity of the things they love, and vindicates God in commanding them to have nothing to do with these things. Now they can see that God was not trying to deny them anything by this command but to protect them. But having ignored his command, they are bereft. ‘And thou shalt find them no more at all’ – the phrase ‘no more at all’ is repeated five times to emphasise the finality of judgment and the inescapability of hell..