‘Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works. In the cup which she mingled, mingle to her double. To the same extent as she glorified herself, and bathed in luxury (waxed luxuriously or behaved wantonly), so much give her of torment and mourning, for she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen and am no widow, and shall under no circumstances see mourning”.'
These are not the words of John but are the words of the One Who has been speaking of ‘My people', the words of the Lamb. No one but He Who is the Judge of all would have the right to speak them. From the lips of Christians they would be unacceptable, but from the lips of Him Who has been ordained to judge the world there can be no complaint. The time of final judgment is fast approaching and this is the preliminary skirmish. He is passing His verdict on Godless civilisation.
‘Render unto her even as she has rendered.' This is justice. As Jeremiah puts it, ‘It is the vengeance of the Lord. Take vengeance upon her. As she had done, do unto her' (Jeremiah 50:15, compare v. 29. See also Jeremiah 51:24; Jeremiah 51:49 and compare Psalms 137:8, ‘Oh daughter of Babylon, you who are to be destroyed, happy shall he be who rewards you as you have served us'.
(But even the judge could not say the next verse in Psalms 137, that was only excusable for those to whom it had recently been done, in the white heat of their grief. However, before you pass judgment on them wait until you too hold the limp distorted body of your own child, covered in blood and with his head broken open, as you gaze at similar desolation around and are overwhelmed with a grief so great that it is beyond bearing, and watch those who in a mad fit of bloodlust continue their murderous activities).
‘And double unto her the double according to her works. In the cup which she mingled, mingle to her double.' It is the Lord, and the Lord alone Who can reward double for sin (Isaiah 40:2; Jeremiah 16:18; Jeremiah 17:18). The cup she mingled was the cup of idolatry and what goes with it, which deserves double punishment (Jeremiah 16:18). For ‘mingle unto her' see Revelation 14:10; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:4. As a result she will become a widow in mourning, bemoaning her own fate.
‘For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen and am no widow.' Had she been a widow she would have had to go in mourning and deny herself the pleasures she longed for, but she rejects such a position and justifies her search for luxurious living by claiming royal rights. Compare what Isaiah said of Babylon, ‘you said, I shall be a lady for ever, so that you did not lay these things to heart, nor did you remember their latter end' (Isaiah 47:7). In both cases they failed to recognise what their true position was.