What does Revelation 18:17 mean?

Overconfidence often comes with prosperity (James 4:13–16), especially when people assume their worldly wealth isn't subject to God's sovereignty (Psalm 14:1). This verse emphasizes again that Babylon's wealth disappeared in a single hour—though this is not meant to imply that a literal sixty minutes describes the entire fall. Rather, the obliteration of Babylon will come rapidly: so quickly that it can't be prevented, avoided, or grasped until everything is all over (Revelation 18:21). Both physically, through weapons of mass destruction, and economically, through rapid changes in commerce, an entire nation can be struck down in a matter of moments.

Here, in John's vision (Revelation 17:1–3), fire destroyed everything the residents of Babylon thought was valuable. What the people considered worthwhile quickly became worthless and fleeting. In Matthew 6:19–20 Jesus instructed, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

This verse specifies all whose trade is on the sea as joining the world's merchants (Revelation 18:11–16) in their extreme mourning over Babylon's destruction. We can picture those onboard ships approaching Babylon's port with high hopes of gaining riches at Babylon but finding the city in ruin. Like the merchants, these individuals find their hopes dashed, and in fear of sharing in Babylon's fate, they stand afar off.