SummaryThe true nature of luxury commerce is revealed: human lives.
Analysis
Revelation contains a sustained critique of several aspects of Roman imperial life. Much of the critique focuses on the violence of the Roman EmpireThe region we today call Palestine and Israel was under Roman rule during the time of Jesus and the early church. The Roman Empire was in its ascendancy during the first century, making it the most powerful political and military force on earth. and its associated destruction of creationCreation, in biblical terms, is the universe as we know or perceive it. Genesis says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the book of Revelation (which speaks of end times) the author declares that God created all things and.... A further critique is lodged here, namely the critique of luxury commerce. It is important to note that none of the items mentioned in Revelation 18:12-13 are everyday goods. They are all luxuries: precious metals, expensively dyed garments, spices and domestic animals. John makes it clear that the wood and the flour that the merchants sell is costly, out of the reach of all but the elites (18:12-13).
After piling up a lengthy list of luxuries, John reveals the true price of their commerce, human lives (18:13). John sees that the goods that Rome consumes come at the price of conquest and devastation. Roman elites can only fill their appetites by destroying human lives through war and slavery. The death of Babylon the great comes to stand for death of the all-consuming quest for power and wealth. In order to destroy the destructive appetites of Babylon, the city must be thrown down and a new heavenly city must replace it.
