**The Fall of Babylon the Great**

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the city that had once been the jewel of the earth. Babylon the Great—mighty, opulent, and proud—stood as a monument to human ambition, a glittering fortress of wealth and power. Its towers scraped the heavens, its markets overflowed with treasures from every corner of the world, and its streets thronged with merchants, kings, and revelers who believed their dominion would never end.

But in the unseen realm, the decree had been issued. The angel who had been watching over the city, his face solemn and his voice like thunder, descended from heaven, his radiance piercing the gathering darkness. He cried out with a voice that shook the very foundations of the earth:

*”Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a dwelling for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a prison for every foul and hateful bird!”*

The words echoed through the streets, striking fear into the hearts of those who heard. Yet the merchants and kings, drunk on the wine of her excess, scoffed and turned away, refusing to believe that their paradise could crumble.

Then another voice, clear and commanding, called out from heaven:

*”Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins and receive her plagues! For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities!”*

Some heeded the warning, fleeing the city with sorrow in their hearts, for they had once reveled in her luxuries. But many remained, clinging to their wealth, their pleasures, their false security.

Then, in a single hour, judgment came.

The earth trembled as if gripped by the hand of the Almighty. The great towers swayed, then cracked, their foundations giving way. The marketplace, where gold and silver, silk and spice, had once exchanged hands in endless trade, became a wasteland. The ships that had brought riches from distant shores burned in the harbor, their smoke rising like a funeral pyre.

The kings of the earth, who had committed adultery with her, stood far off, weeping and wailing as they watched the flames consume her. *”Alas! Alas! O great city, Babylon, mighty city! In one hour your judgment has come!”*

The merchants, who had grown fat from her excess, tore their robes and threw dust upon their heads. *”Who is like the great city? Who can compare to her splendor?”* they cried. But their lamentations were in vain, for the city that had lived in luxury and arrogance was now a ruin, never to rise again.

And from the throne of heaven came a final proclamation:

*”Rejoice over her, O heavens, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has pronounced judgment for you against her!”*

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, *”So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more!”*

And in the silence that followed, the only sound was the distant weeping of those who had loved her—and the songs of the redeemed, praising the God of justice, who had avenged His people at last.

Thus ended the reign of Babylon the Great.