In chapter 14 an angel had announced, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great” (Revelation 14:8). With the pouring of the seventh and last bowl, we were told in Revelation 16:19 that “God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” As these were (vital) sidenotes in the flow of thought of those paragraphs, the Holy Spirit did not pause to provide detail on Babylon’s fall. In Revelation 17—19 the Lord shows John the details that the apostle (and the church) needs to know about Babylon’s fall. Revelation 17 had introduced us to Babylon and then explained how the Lord would bring about her fall. In Revelation 18 the Spirit relates numerous reactions to Babylon’s fall. The present paragraph (Revelation 18:1–3) gives us a heavenly announcement indicating the blessing that earth may experience as a result of its fall. Revelation 18:4–24 details responses from different people to her collapse, while Revelation 19:1–10 tells us how the multitudes of heaven respond.