Revelation 18- Woe, woe, woe!

Lament over Babylon

9Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. 10In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

the mighty city of Babylon!

For in a single hour

your judgment has come.”

11And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— 12cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory and precious wood, of bronze, iron, and marble; 13of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men.

14“The fruit of your soul’s desire

has departed from you;

all your luxury and splendor have vanished,

never to be seen again.”

15The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, 16saying:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,

adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

17For in a single hour

such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!”

Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance 18and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her, saying, ‘What city was ever like this great city?’

19Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

where all who had ships on the sea

were enriched by her wealth!

For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”

20“Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints and apostles and prophets;

because it is for you

that God has pronounced His judgment against her.”

Two things catch my attention as I read these verses.

Woe, woe, woe is mentioned three times. 

And for In a single hour is mentioned three times.

What is the significance of these being mentioned three times? 

There were three gates on the east, three on the north....

Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale.

Christ rose from the dead on the third day.

Many times in the Bible the number three may signify completeness or finality.

Also notice these are fine goods, luxury items.

Try a search for the number three in the Bible, you may be surprised.

Blessings, David