9.  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication
    and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for
    her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

    10.  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas,
    alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour
    is thy judgment come.

    11.  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over
    her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 

12.  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

    13.  And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense,
    and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and
    sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

    14.  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from
    thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed
    from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

    15.  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her,
    shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and
    wailing,

    16.  And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in
    fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and
    precious stones, and pearls!

    17.  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought.  And every
    shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as
    many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

    18.  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,
    What city is like unto this great city!

19.  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

In this description we have a continuation of the judgments of Babylon already introduced.  It must be borne in mind, however, that this is the spiritual judgments following her moral fall, and not her final and everlasting literal destruction.  The latter is described under another symbol a little further on in this series of prophecy.

The symbol here is that of a great city, the grand metropolis of the world, the mart of earth’s commerce; a superb city, their [sic] being no end to its luxuries and magnificence.  In it everything that can minister to the appetite, gratify the taste, and feed the pride of the human soul is to be found in profusion, being described at length.  This great city is suddenly afire, and her merchants and the great men of the world who sustain her are